Tens of thousands bid farewell to Morgan Tsvangirai

Invincible Nadal clinches fifth consecutive Barcelona title

Spaniard Rafael Nadal won his fifth crown in a row at the Barcelona Open as the World number one edged compatriot David Ferrer in the final. The 22-year-old Mallorcan has only lost four times on clay since 2005.

REUTERS - World number one Rafael Nadal won his fifth consecutive Barcelona Open title on Sunday with a 6-2 7-5 victory over Spanish compatriot David Ferrer.

Top seed Nadal, who also beat Ferrer in last year's final, exchanged early breaks with the fourth seed on the clay in the Catalan capital before racing into a 5-2 lead and taking the set with an ace.

Ferrer put up more of a fight in the second set as the pair broke each other twice but lost his serve again in the 11th game and Nadal sealed victory on his second match point when Ferrer went long with a forehand.

The 22-year-old Mallorcan has only lost four times on clay since 2005, most recently to fellow Spaniard Juan Carlos Ferrero at last year's Rome Masters when he was not fully fit.

He is favourite for a fifth straight French Open crown when the grand slam begins in Paris at the end of next month and also holds the Australian Open and Wimbledon titles.